Despite featuring a rout settled by the end of the first quarter, this weekend produced some thoughts which did not quite fit into the immediate coverage of Notre Dame’s 52-17 victory over Miami (OH). Wait, that’s the whole point of this weekly piece. Funny the way that works.

The sophomore defensive ends keep coming.
The spring and preseason buzz focused on Daelin Hayes, justifiably so. Hayes has totaled 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two fumbles recovered already this season. His athleticism has shown through time and time again, but he is not alone as an up-and-coming sophomore defensive end.

First came Julian Okwara, earning some notice in the season’s initial third with five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the first four weeks. He did not have an extensive chance to add to those numbers this weekend, because the Irish coaching staff turned to the reserves earlier than usual. Even Hayes notched only one tackle, though it was two yards into the RedHawks backfield.

“We were able to get up big and so a lot of our developmental guys were able to get reps and that really shows the direction of our program,” junior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery said. “I’m so excited watching guys who have been through it all with us get in and get reps.”

Irish sophomore defensive end Khalid Kareem (53) has emerged as a genuine option in the Notre Dame rotation at the position, providing unexpected depth at what was supposedly a weak spot entering the season. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

In this instance, the reserve who made the most of his reps was Khalid Kareem, making two tackles, including an eight-yard sack toward the end of the third quarter.

“Khalid is really emerging in so many ways,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “Physically in the weight room, his numbers are off the charts in terms of what he’s been doing. He’s just physically coming into his own. Very trustworthy in terms of what he’s doing day-to-day with [defensive line coach Mike Elston]. He’s earned his playing time.”

Kareem looked every bit the part of a Division I pass-rusher. With seniors Andrew Trumbetti and Jay Hayes (no relation) still large factors in the defensive end rotation, Kareem’s chances this season may be limited to blowouts and occasional pass-specific situations. Entering the season, though, the idea of a rotation so deep a viable contributor would see only sporadic chances would have been a concept completely foreign to Irish expectations.

Te’von Coney may “break out” next season, but don’t be fooled. It has already happened.
Junior linebacker Te’von Coney made only four tackles against Miami, three coming in the first half.

Watching the first few RedHawks drives, this scribe made a note of Coney’s performance, entirely expecting to include a mention of Coney’s evening in postgame coverage. The final stats sheet, however, showed him tied for fifth in tackles Saturday. Two of those ahead of him are the two senior linebackers with whom Coney both splits time and exchanges the season lead in tackles on a week-to-week basis.

Nyles Morgan made seven tackles Saturday, raising his total through five games to 41 to lead Notre Dame. Greer Martini had five takedowns, now with 34 on the year. Coney’s four this weekend brought his tally to 36, including two tackles for loss and one sack.

Coney catching the eye early yet not necessarily getting the statistical shine goes to show how much of an effect he is having overall. With both Morgan and Martini in their final season of eligibility, next year likely will be referred to as Coney’s “breakout season.” That will be too easy of a description, and short-sighted, at that. He has already broken out, even if only in shared playing time.

Chuck Martin’s return to Notre Dame did not go as the Miami coach may have hoped on the field, but he was pleased with everything off the field surrounding both programs. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chuck Martin on Campus Crossroads
The former Irish assistant took the head coaching job at Miami long before any construction began at Notre Dame Stadium. His return to campus thus not only included reunions with friends all around — he specifically mentioned seeing 40 ushers he used to interact with daily or weekly — but also a look at a venue with some pretty thorough changes.

“I love what they did with the renovations,” Martin said. “I hadn’t been in it until yesterday. Totally different.

“They obviously hit a home run. Inside, outside, the whole deal. That part is cool.”

Continuing the Justin Yoon record watch
The junior kicker went 1-of-2 on field goal attempts Saturday. If Yoon makes three of his next seven attempts, he will set the Irish record for career percentage. Seven more attempts will be needed, no matter if he sends his next three kicks through the uprights, to officially reach the record’s minimum of 50 attempts.

Small, but unusual, gesture from Kelly to McGraw
Between the first and second quarters Saturday, Notre Dame recognized women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw for her induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. McGraw and her team took the field toward one of the end zones.

Kelly left the Irish sideline to spend a moment congratulating McGraw in person. It was a small thing that would go largely unnoticed, but it is also unexpected to see any football coach tend to something non-football in the middle of a game.

Seven of those came against Notre Dame. An eighth does not count toward that total, but it was in fact more impressive. That would be the final Irish drive of that 20-19 loss, when Georgia forced a Brandon Wimbush fumble on the third play of the drive, a different version of a three-and-out, if you will.

Bryce Love is also good at the football thing.
The Stanford junior running back ran for more than 1,000 yards before it came time to turn on Green Day’s fall anthem.

Sure, it was a quirk of the calendar that allowed Love’s first grand to come within September, but to run for 1,088 yards in five games is absurd, no matter what month or months those games come in.

“I know Bryce Love has been racking up the yards but I haven’t seen anything overly impressive. I’m not saying that he isn’t a talented back but … is there any way of checking how he did in the two losses vs. how good those defenses rank nationally against the run?”

Yes, yes there is a way. It just takes some time spent with Stanford’s box scores and the NCAA statistics page.

Against Rice, Love gained 180 yards on 13 carries. The Owls rank No. 35 in the country in rush defense, giving up 122.2 yards per game. If removing the Stanford game, Rice has given up 81 yards per game, which would be No. 7 in the country.
USC — 160 yards on 17 carries — No. 67 rush defense with 147.2 yards allowed per game. Removing the Stanford game, the Trojans defense has given up 141.5 yards per game, which would be No. 62 in the country.
San Diego State — 184 yards on 13 carries — No. 47 rush defense with 131.0 yards allowed per game. Removing Stanford, the Aztecs have given up 120.25 yards per game, which would be No. 33 in the country.
UCLA —263 yards on 30 carries — No. 125 rush defense with 284.2 yards allowed per game. Removing Stanford, the Bruins have given up 254 yards per game, which would be No. 122.
Arizona State — 301 yards on 25 carries —No. 96 rush defense with 190.9 yards allowed per game. Removing Stanford, the Sun Devils have given up 155.5 yards per game, which would be No. 74 in the country.

Fighting Amish included, “Everyone scores big points on Rice and UCLA. Has he even played a legit defense?”

No one else runs against Rice, and San Diego State and Arizona State have average to better-than-average defenses. Love is doing this against genuine competition as often as not.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.